Review of Stand By Me

[Neil W]

Four lads in their early teens have heard that there is a dead body lying in the woods some miles away and, out of morbid curiosity, go on a camping trip to investigate.

Stephen King's novella uses this simple framework to create a work which examines friendship, family, remembrance, bravery, bullying, and a wealth of other things, in a quietly emotional and gently humorous way. And, glory be, Rob Reiner's movie manages to capture all that subtlety while looking gorgeous and featuring wonderful performances from young actors who, for various reasons, mostly never quite fulfilled the potential they showed here.

There is, of course, an element of the macabre here - it is Stephen King, after all - but this is incidental: there is far more laughter than horror.

This is a quietly excellent movie.

 

[Sundrop]

In my opinion, this is one of the better adaptations from book to film. Rob Reiner did an excellent job.

 

[mustangclaire]

My all time favourite film ever ever ever. EVER!!!!!

 

[booklover72]

loved the film. loved the characters. Rob reiner's Production company is called Castle Rock entertainement.

 

[Cowboy]

Loved this movie when it came out. I remember watching it on a date with a girl that was a rocker. Not my normal dating scenario but she was a looker. She hated it and thought it was boring, I loved it! We didn't go out anymore after that. If you can't like a Stephen King story, I don't have much use for you.

 

[DiO'Bolic]

Excellent movie, excellent screenplay, excellent directing, excellent photography, and excellent acting. And the final scene was icing on the cake.

 

[guido tkp]

quite simply...a great film...near perfect adaption...could not ask for more...

and rob gave us the also awesomely great Misery adaption...

as well as the splendiferously wonderful classic adaption of The Princess Bride....

the man's got talent...for a meathead

 

[king family fan]

Love this movie

 

[HPMcClendon]

Agreed, great film.

 

[Gavin Logan]

Amazing novella and a fantastic adaptation. Could easily have just turned out to be another ordinary movie but Reiner really achieved something special with this one. One of my favourite movies ever. Me and my friend still love to throw out quotes every so often

 

[Bryan James]

I can't not watch it whenever it is in the early morning cable rotation. Kinda like "October Sky." A good way to start a day even if I got up on the wrong side of 4 a.

 

[Kurben]

In my opinion, this is one of the better adaptations from book to film. Rob Reiner did an excellent job.

Absolutely. Captures the book very well. River Phoenix in one of the leads. brother of joaquin, who died young. If i'm not completely misremembering here John. C Reilly plays one of the boys. A good character actor nowadays

 

[OldDarth]

Lovely movie.

Love the closing scene with Dreyfuss typing out the last line of the story:

" I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

The fade out shot with River Phoenix and his character's fate are doubly haunting given what happened to him.

 

[Neesy]

quite simply...a great film...near perfect adaption...could not ask for more...

and rob gave us the also awesomely great Misery adaption...

as well as the splendiferously wonderful classic adaption of The Princess Bride....

the man's got talent...for a meathead

I like the movie quite a bit too!

 

[blunthead]

My nursing course included the showing of two movies: Stand By Me and Whose Life is it Anyway? The reason for these movies being considered worthy was due to their respective educational value. In the case of Stand By Me the movie presented four distinct stages in child development.

 

[summer_sky]

My nursing course included the showing of two movies: Stand By Me and Whose Life is it Anyway? The reason for these movies being considered worthy was due to their respective educational value. In the case of Stand By Me the movie presented four distinct stages in child development.

Really? I find this as interesting as the novella and film adaptation are excellent.

So, what are the four stages of childhood development?

 

[Pucker]

Love the closing scene with Dreyfuss typing out the last line of the story:

" I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?"

It's a very good line, there's no denying that. I suppose I like the original "Did you?" better because of its immediacy. "Does anyone?" is a bit -- what's the word? -- existential for me. He's assuming a universal condition that everyone will recognize -- lost youth -- but in the original I get the impression that Gordie is actually wondering if he's unique, personally, in this way.

Could be I've got it all wrong.

That happens sometimes.

 

[summer_sky]

It's a very good line, there's no denying that. I suppose I like the original "Did you?" better because of its immediacy. "Does anyone?" is a bit -- what's the word? -- existential for me. He's assuming a universal condition that everyone will recognize -- lost youth -- but in the original I get the impression that Gordie is actually wondering if he's unique, personally, in this way.

Could be I've got it all wrong.

That happens sometimes.

I totally get what you are saying, Puck. I think.
In the sense of Immediacy vs Existential.

For me, reading is a much more intimate and personal experience than is watching a film.
With reading, there is a much bigger sense of immediacy because the story... the author's words... is/are playing out within my own mind and imagination whereby influenced by the infinite nuances of my own interpretations of life perspectives and experiences.
I am the canvas and the author is the painter, so to speak. There is a unique and innate Immediacy. An intimacy, if you will.

When watching a film, I feel more removed and more of an observer.
No matter how well the scriptwriter and director and producer and the whole bevy of crew and technical advisers... including the author, in some cases... transform the story from words on a page to the big screen (and/or television), there is always someone else's interpretation of the story between me and author's words.
The nuances of somebody else's interpretation(s) gets between me and the story and the Immediacy is diminished.

Know what I mean?

 

[Frank-ly_realistic]

I like the movie quite a bit too!

There was a unique bond between all four of us ...Stephen wrote about me as the shorter, heavier "Vern" / "Verno who jumped off the bridge. We had Grades 7th -12th and way over 1000 lunches together ..... every class together except just Drivers Ed and just one other.

 

[Frank-ly_realistic]

Absolutely. Captures the book very well. River Phoenix in one of the leads. brother of joaquin, who died young. If i'm not completely misremembering here John. C Reilly plays one of the boys. A good character actor nowadays

Jerry O'Connell played the part of "Vern" / Verno" (the shorter, heavier kid who jumped off the tracks) --- the character was based on me,,, I even have a photo of me wearing that striped shirt and walking with my brother whom Stephen used as a character in another movie....